Children from the Rainbow Club Centre for Autism imagine their sustainable future in an art competition

The winners of a sustainable art competition were celebrated at the Rainbow Club Centre for Autism in Mahon, Cork.

Sponsored by Ørsted, the young artists were asked to imagine what the world of the future looks like run entirely on renewable energy. Among their visions were solar battery powered mobile phones, a world in balance with people and nature, a robot hamster wheel producing electricity, a pineapple solar station, and a bee car to pollinate flowers and fields. 

Ten winners were selected by Ørsted whose paintings will now become the backdrop for all Region Europe Onshore QHSE Microsoft Teams calls. Meanwhile, all entries were presented with a goody bag containing wildflower seeds, a recycled water bottle, Ørsted’s children’s story book on climate change, and sweets.

Commenting Eoin Doyle, Head of Regional Onshore QHSE in Europe at Ørsted, said:
“With this art competition, we wanted the children to express themselves and have some fun. Onshore QHSE Europe are the real winners here, now having fabulous backdrops to promote engagement and pride for our local community. The art submitted simply blew us away. The level of awareness of climate change in these children and the quality of their ideas to address sustainability with novel and fun approaches really impressed us. I am delighted that the winning images will live on as backdrops to our meetings, and in this way spark further conversation about how the choices we make today shape our children’s future both positively and negatively.”

Karen O’Mahoney, founder of the Rainbow Club Centre for Autism, added:
“Support from industry is a really important part of ensuring the continued delivery the Rainbow Club’s services and programmes. Working with over 1,200 children, we offer supports from early childhood until young adulthood to promote inclusivity, opportunity and brighter futures for children living with autism so that they can reach their full potential. I’d like to thank Ørsted for their sponsorship to date which has directly contributed to the funding of our Teen Hub.”

In 2022, the Ørsted Cork team voted to partner with the Rainbow Club Centre for Autism as its selected charity partner. Since then, Ørsted’s Charity Committee has run several fundraising events in which the Cork team have rave raised over €7000 in funding to further advance the Rainbow Club’s support for children, teens and young adults living with autism.